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Original poster

teachers of English/ GCSE

55 replies

gillybeanz · 02/06/2018 13:54

Hi, I have a current y9 dd who enjoys English.
She's about average and enjoys comprehension.

We are looking for a book we can all read together over summer holidays that is GCSE level with something to get stuck into.
In the past we studied Lord of the flies and Animal farm, we choose a book each holiday.

Do you recommend looking at a book from the syllabus if they fancy a particular one, or is it best left for school for study.
Currently has her eye on 1984, but I know it's on her syllabus as a school choice.

Any suggestions and/or advice on whether to cover works they will do at school.

OP posts:
Original poster
gillybeanz · 02/06/2018 17:11

Bux

Ignore me, I did read 1984 on a syllabus list, it may have been an old one.

She'll be doing A view from the Bridge, and most likely Hard Times I think.
Struggling to find the right syllabus as I'm sure school have wrong code on website. So not 100% sure.

OP posts:
Original poster
gillybeanz · 02/06/2018 17:05

No, it's not an option, sorry I meant we have studied this as a family.
I know it sounds weird but we really enjoy it and started in y7.
A book every summer holidays.
This time she has chosen 1984, but wondered if others had some suggestions on the lines of AF or LOTF.
I'm not sure of any other works that are good for comprehension and storyline.
I looked at Of Mice and Men, but it looked really short, could do it with another short story I suppose.
This will need to last 6 weeks, reading 1-2 chapters per week, when we can get together.
She really improved after last years holiday.

OP posts:
Buxbaum · 02/06/2018 16:14

Avoid the books that she will study for GCSE, but are you sure that 1984 is one of them? It isn't an option for AQA, OCR, Edexcel or Eduqas (although Animal Farm is for the first three).

I would second PP's recommendations of Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men, and add my own recommendation of The Woman in Black.

French2019 · 02/06/2018 14:01

I loved To Kill A Mockingbird at that age. Still love it actually. No idea if it's still on the GCSE syllabus these days. (Not a teacher!)

TheThirdOfHerName · 02/06/2018 13:58

Of Mice and Men is no longer on the GCSE syllabus but my children's schools have both used it in Y9 for practising GCSE skills.

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